Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
May 3, 2015

It was billed as the ‘fight of the century’.

And in the end, Floyd Mayweather won the highly anticipated super fight, defeating Manny Pacquiao in the unanimous decision at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Cementing his status as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of his generation, Mayweather was awarded the fight 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 by the three judges.The American-born Mayweather took his unblemished record to 48-0 adding the Filipino great’s World Boxing Organisation title to his World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council crowns.Mayweather managed to keep Pacquiao at bay through much of the welterweight world title fight, exploiting his longer reach and height to frustrate the Filipino.“First off, I want to thank God. I want to think all the fans around the world. This was a hell of a fight. I take my hat off to Manny Pacquiao, now I see why he is one of the guys at the pinnacle of boxing. I am truly blessed. Manny Pacquaio is truly blessed. I am a calculating fighter. He is a tough competitor. I had to take my time with him,” Mayweather said immediately following the bout. His final fight is scheduled for September.A defeated Pacquiao said he thought he had won.“It was a good fight. I got him many times. I saw the punches. I thought I won the fight. He is moving around, it is not easy to throw a lot of punches. I can handle his power. He is not strong like some others. He’s not bigger than me, the size doesn’t matter, I have fought bigger guys.”
“Sin City” was buzzing ahead of the welterweight world title showdown and the money men were rubbing their hands: total revenue for the bout could reach an eye-watering US$400 million, fueled by as many as three million pay-per-view purchases.
The breathtaking figures — a possible US$200 million payday for the unbeaten American and an estimated US$100 million bonanza for Philippine icon Pacquiao — have intensified the spotlight on a fight between two of the greatest pugilists of their generation.
As a taster for the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, a raucous crowd of 11,500 turned out for Friday’s weigh-in, as Pacquiao and Mayweather went nose-to-nose.
The few tickets that did go on sale for the bout itself were reportedly snapped up in one minute, with A-listers and high-rollers making up the vast majority of a 16,800 sell-out crowd, making the fight more akin to a night out at the Oscars than two men attempting to pound the other to the canvas.
With just hours to go, dozens of tickets were still available on the resale website StubHub, ranging in price from US$2,690 to US$37,442 apiece. (9news)